Delivering Sustainable & Inclusive Economic Growth

As one of the world’s largest economic sectors, travel and tourism creates jobs, drives exports, and generates prosperity across the world. Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors, supporting one in ten jobs worldwide, generating more than 10% of global GDP. Companies, large and small, in industries ranging from accommodation and transportation to food & beverage, retail and culture and sports & recreation, all strive to create products and services that bring people together, support communities and celebrate the wonders that our world can offer. Travel supports women, youth and other, often marginalized groups of society, employing twice the amount of women than other sectors and a higher share of youth workers (15-24) than the overall economy.

Developing an Enhanced Sense of Place

Destinations across the globe must now compete for their share of the world’s visitors, businesses, investment, and attention. As the world’s economies are transformed by knowledge-intensive activities, sense of place is becoming increasingly important. The unique characteristics of place may be the only truly defensible competitive advantage for communities, playing a key role in drawing in highly-skilled knowledge economy workers to destinations, bringing economic growth with them. We know that travel enhances the perception of place, serving as a front door to socio-economic development. As Maura Gast, Executive Director of the Irving CVB proclaimed, “It all starts with a visit and the visit starts with us.”

Building Stronger Communities

When residents benefit from a strong visitor economy, they become empowered to build stronger, more sustainable communities. Tourism creates a bond of identity, pride, promise and purpose between people of a destination – it strengthens the social fabric of a community. Strong visitor economies have positive and lasting effects on cultural and natural heritage, creativity and cultural diversity, and the environment and balance of societies.

Promoting Unity & Diplomacy

Travel has often been recognised for its ability to encourage peace, security, and understanding. The presumption that tourism can promote cross-cultural understanding and tolerance has long underpinned a diplomatic discourse of tourism as a path to peace. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy famously stated, “Travel has become one of the great forces for peace and understanding in our time. As people move throughout the world and learn to know each other, to understand each other’s custom and to appreciate the qualities of the individuals of each nation, we are building a level of international understanding which can sharply improve the atmosphere for world peace.”